Pluviophile
by Lachenna
Summary: One rainy day two fated lovers find each other after centuries apart. Modern, Reincarnation. AllenxLenalee.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was grey and forlorn. It was drizzling rain; the kind that an umbrella was useless against, everything was wet. The entire city seemed soaked to the bone.

The young Chinese woman was no exception, though she seemed to embrace the rain more than her fellow commuters. She wore no raincoat, and walked where she wanted. She didn't seem to care when she passed under the water cascading off awnings or when she stepped in puddles in shoes that were clearly not waterproof.

To the passersby she looked like she was one of those happy people who enjoyed the rain. And while she did love the weather, it wasn't because she was happy. No, she loved that forlorn grey sky because it was as miserable as she was.

She was nearing the end of her rope. She didn't know how much longer she could keep pretending to be happy in front of her friends and family. Her job was mediocre, she had hoped to be promoted by now, but was secretly glad she hadn't, her passion for the work was dying. However, that wasn't her real problem.

Her love life was in the toilet. She hadn't been on a decent date in years. Not since the dreams started. None of the young men she went out with lived up to the man in her dreams.

The dreams were vivid, incredibly vivid. They haunted her every night with stories of a different life. A life in which she had friends she loved dearly, in which she was happy despite living under the constant threat of death. But most importantly: it was a life with that one young man she loved more than the others.

She could never remember anything about him when she woke. Not his name or his face, she couldn't even recall a hair color. There was just a feeling of loneliness that he wasn't in the bed beside her.

After discovering that her brother was having similar dreams, she became convinced that the dreams were memories of a past life, and that her young man was out there somewhere. She began to search for him, but as she soon found out: when you don't even know what the person you're looking for looks like, you're not going to get anywhere. But she knew that she'd recognize him when she saw him, so she continued to hope.

Her hope was almost dead now. After two years of nothing but bad dates and her mediocre job, she was just about ready to give up.

And that was what she liked best about the rain; no one would notice that the water running down her face was actually tears.

.x.x.

Elsewhere in the city, a young British man, barely more than a teenager, was also appreciating the way the rain echoed his mood.

It hadn't rained in weeks, and according to the news, it was the driest spring on record. As uncomfortable as it was to be soaked through, the rain was a marvelous thing. It brought hope to all the growing things around: the drought was over.

He'd signed the contract that morning. He was no longer a freelance artist struggling to get by. He now had a permanent gig at a recording studio. And not just any gig: he would be writing and composing too. He was in heaven.

And to make everything better, he'd seen _her._ The young woman who had haunted his dreams for years. She was real. And she was there in the city.

Having not seen which way she went, he sprinted to the bodega she had exited. The man behind the counter didn't know her name, but he knew she lived in the neighborhood. A few innocent and convincing lies later, and the young man held the address to his dream girl's apartment in his hand.

Yes, the rain was an amazing thing.

.x.x.

The Chinese woman's mood had not improved by the time she made it to the apartment she called home. She had started down a dark path, wondering if life was even worth living anymore.

She groaned upon reaching the building, some homeless man had taken shelter in her doorway. He was wet and dirty, his jeans were torn, and his roughed up hoodie was pulled tightly around him. He appeared to be asleep.

In no mood to deal with the vagrant, she stomped up to him. Ready to yell, the words died in her throat when he looked up. That scar on his cheek, those bright silver eyes... "Allen?"

The young man pulled off his hood to reveal his white hair. He smiled up at the drenched Chinese woman, adoring the way the water dripped out of her long green hair. "Hey Lenalee."

She helped him to his feet, and immediately shoved him into the door. The pair kissed passionately. They had finally found each other, and that desperation could be felt in their kiss. Her hands tangled into his hair and his found their way under her skirt. She gasped at the unexpected yet familiar touch, breaking their kiss.

"Sorry, too far." Allen smiled gently at her, enjoying the faint blush on her cheeks. "We did just meet after all."

Lenalee laughed lightly, her eyes lighting up for the first time in a long time. "Let's get inside and out of this rain. You look awful."

He moved so she could unlock the door, blinking at the comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your clothes are a mess, Allen." She laughed and held the door open for him. "I mistook you for a homeless person when I first saw you."

He didn't laugh like she expected him to. Instead, he looked embarrassed. "Allen?"

He smiled at her, but it was forced. "Sorry. That hit a little too close to home. I almost got evicted a few months ago." He elaborated at the worried look she gave him. "I'm fine now, honest."

Lenalee wanted to know more, but the look on his face said he didn't want to talk about it. She could also see that he was too skinny, and not in a good way like she remembered him being. Allen may not have been willing to admit it, but he was having money problems.

After getting out of their uncomfortable shoes, her first order of business was to get him warm and dry. She smiled brightly and pulled him through the apartment. Allen tried to protest, but she put an end to that quickly. "Hurry up, don't get the carpet wet."

She shoved him into the bathroom. "Go ahead and shower, it'll warm you up. Komui's got some clothes in the spare room; I'll go see if he's got something that you can wear until we get yours dry."

Allen froze at the mention of Komui. "Your brother isn't here now is he?"

Lenalee smiled. "No. He only stays here when he's in town. You've got nothing to worry about. He's not as psychotic as he used to be."

"I don't believe that."

"It's true." She laughed and shoved him playfully. Turning on the water to let it get warm, she left Allen alone in the bathroom.

He didn't exactly want to shower, but he knew Lenalee would get her way. He peeled off his wet sweatshirt and examined it. Sure, it was old and a little beaten up, but was it really as bad as Lenalee thought? He frowned. It probably was. But that was what the new job was for; he could afford to buy clothes now.

Lenalee came back before Allen got in the shower; she quickly averted her eyes and placed the pile of clothes on the counter. He laughed at the embarrassed action and pulled her against his bare chest. "There's no need for that reaction, it's nothing you haven't seen before."

She shoved him away. "Just get in the shower."

"And what about you?" He pulled her close once more, whispering sultrily in her ear. "You're soaked too. We could warm up together..."

In case she didn't get the innuendo, his hands found the zipper on her skirt and opened it, easing the wet fabric off her hips. She shrieked when the skirt fell to the ground. "Al-len!"

"Sorry." He apologized but didn't pull away. "I don't mean to keep crossing the line. But I've been looking for you for two years. I can't help it-"

The sentence was cut short by an abrupt kiss from Lenalee. "I wanted to talk first. To get to know you again.

"But I want _this_ too." She gave him another kiss as her hands removed his last piece of clothing.

Now fully naked, Allen resumed undressing Lenalee while she kissed him once more. "I'm tired of being frustrated."

Her blouse was unbuttoned swiftly and it joined the other wet garments on the floor. Allen pulled her into the shower and under the steaming spray. They both gasped at the warmth, not realizing just how cold they had gotten.

He took his time with her bra while she attempted to peel her nylons off. It was a difficult task under the circumstances, and she probably ruined them in the process, but she managed to shimmy out of the soaked material. Allen had her bra off by then, and as she bent to remove her panties, he took a moment to enjoy the sight of the water trailing down her naked body; the streams highlighted her curves perfectly. Seeing him naked was a treat for her too, and Lenalee was pleased to see that he was the same size as he was in her memories.

She made a big show out of removing her hair bands, shaking her hips and occasionally brushing them across his body. But Allen couldn't take any more teasing, and as the green locks cascaded down around them, he tangled his fingers into the hair and captured her lips.

Deepening the kiss, she wrapped her arms around him, cupping his ass and pressing her breasts into his chest, desperate for the feel of his skin on hers. His hands immediately dropped to her hips, and he pushed her back against the shower wall and began to grind into her. They broke their kiss, needing the air for moaning.

His hands adjusted their position on her hips, sliding her upwards along the wet tile. As her feet left the floor, she wrapped her toned legs around his waist. And that was when he thrust into her; he wanted to spend more time on foreplay, but she wasn't the only one who was sexually frustrated.

She cried out at the feeling of being filled by the man she loved, momentarily marveling at how she had managed to save herself for him in two different lifetimes. The noise egged him on, and he began thrusting into her over and over again, not stopping until they both reached their end, the steam and warm water making it happen quicker than either would have liked.

After they were sufficiently recovered, the water was turned off and towels were fetched. The atmosphere was light and cheery. Which led to horsing around. Which led them to Lenalee's bedroom...

The rain outside had picked up while they were in the shower. It had grown from a drizzle to a downpour. The sound of the drops pounding on the building filled the little room, providing the background music as the two lovers kissed and caressed each other, bringing their love and passion for the other out of their memories and into the present.

The rain grew into a thunderstorm as the lovers moved from gentle touches to full on sex. A clap of thunder drowned out Lenalee's cry as Allen entered her once again.

When they finished, they lay together on the bed, feeling nothing but joy over having finally found each other. They listened to the rain outside as the storm passed and the downpour calmed into a gentle shower.

Lenalee ran her fingers absently up his side, noticing that each rib was especially pronounced. "You're so skinny. When was the last time you had a decent meal?"

Allen didn't answer. She may have been half-asleep, but she knew his silence wasn't good. "Allen. Talk to me."

He sighed. "Lena, I don't want to talk about this. Not after sex."

She poked him in the stomach. "No. You can't use my pet name and avoid my question. I have a right to be worried if _you're_ not eating properly. Answer the question."

"I forgot how bossy you are." The irritated comment was said with love, a love he was surprised he felt so strongly so soon, he knew nothing about this version of Lenalee after all. "The last time I ate something that wasn't fast food, microwaved, or from a box or can - which is what I assume you meant by 'decent' - was ... the last time I hung out with Lavi. Which was ... about a month ago."

"Allen..."

"Lena. Don't give me that look. I'm fine."

Allen tried to distract her by squeezing her ass, but she pulled away and got up. "I don't believe you."

He sat up with a sigh, watching longingly as she disappeared into her closet. "Things have been rough for me lately. I guess there's no point in denying that. But I got a new job today. I really am fine."

Lenalee poked her head out of the closet. "Really?"

Allen smiled brightly at her. "Really."

She came back into the bedroom wearing a loose fitting pair of jeans and a thick sweater. She rolled her eyes at the man on the bed, inwardly loving the way he was devouring her with his eyes. "Go get dressed."

Allen followed her to the bathroom, where she gathered up all the rain-soaked clothing then left him to change. Her brother's clothes didn't fit him very well, as the man was a head taller than he was and an average weight for his height. But Lenalee had thought of that and grabbed a belt; the pants wouldn't have stayed up without it. The t-shirt was loose too, together they emphasized just how skinny Allen had let himself get.

Meanwhile, after throwing Allen's wet clothes in the dryer (which was definitely not where she wanted to throw them, but they were the man's only clothes at her place), Lenalee went to the kitchen to see what was available for dinner. She was embarrassed by how empty the cupboards were, but now was not the time to be concerned with grocery shopping. So she picked up the phone and ordered Chinese. Allen was not leaving until he'd been properly fed. Actually, if she had her way, he wouldn't be leaving at all.

Allen emerged from the bathroom to find Lenalee in the kitchen making tea. He perched on a stool and watched her, marveling at how spectacular she looked in those jeans. She laughed. "I know you're staring at my ass, Allen."

He looked away. "Sorry."

She laughed again. "Don't apologize. I missed it."

She kissed him on the cheek before handing him a mug. Grabbing her own, she then led him into the living room. They sat together on the couch, shoulder to shoulder, needing the physical contact despite having spent the last hour making love. "I ordered Chinese for dinner. It should be here in about fifteen minutes. After that I thought we could go get you some decent clothes."

"Lena..." Allen blushed furiously. "You don't have to-"

"Allen. I want to. Let me help you."

"But-"

"Allen." She took his cup from him and set it beside hers on the coffee table. Then she took his hands in hers. "That comment I made earlier, about you being homeless, how true is it really?"

"Lena..." When she glared at him, he sighed and pulled his hands away. "I'm living in my car. But I've only been in the city for a couple days. I didn't want to look for a place until I knew that this job was actually going to pan out."

"That's a nice excuse, but you were living in your car before you came here, weren't you?" His silence answered her question. "Allen, let me help you."

"I got the job, Lena. You don't have to-"

"And what are you going to do between now and when you finally get paid? Huh?" He gave her a very specific look, and she groaned. "Really, Allen? You still cheat at cards?"

A knock at the door gave him time to come up with a reply to her question. He knew her real problem wasn't with the gambling, it was with the lying that went with it. She got up and paid for the food, and when she came back, he was smiling. "You may not like that I do it, but it's those skills that helped me track you down. If I wasn't so good at bluffing, the guy at the bodega never would have told me where you live."

She stopped setting up the food cartons to stare at him. "What did you tell him- no, never mind. I don't want to know."

It didn't take any convincing to get him to eat, though she did have to keep telling him it was ok to eat more. While they ate, Allen entertained her with stories of Lavi's antics. Not only was the redhead the only one of their former friends he'd had contact with in this lifetime, but they had actually spent a good portion of their childhoods together; it was Lavi who had helped Allen recover his memories of the past.

After dinner, while he changed back into his own clothes, she went into the kitchen and made up a grocery list. She had let it go neglected, but if Allen was going to be around, she would have to change that.

"Fine. You win." His sweatshirt had ripped in the dryer. He momentarily thought she'd done it, but he knew she wouldn't have bothered running the dryer if that was the case. "I'll let you take me shopping."

Their shopping trip was an adventure to say the least. Allen was thoroughly embarrassed at the amount of money he let Lenalee spend on him. He tried to tell her that he'd pay her back once he had money, but she only laughed at that. He also protested being dragged grocery shopping, but after she insisted that he would live with her until he found his own place, he stopped trying to fight her. For Lenalee, grocery shopping with Allen was like shopping with a little kid. He got excited about everything and bounced around like he was on a sugar rush. His love of food had stayed with him.

It had continued to rain. The pair splashed through puddles between stores, trying to see who could get the other wetter. It was more fun than either had had in a long time. And by the time they got back to her place, they were soaked.

The remainder of the evening was spent in each other's arms. He talked about how excited he was for his new job, telling her all about his music and how much he loved to write songs. She talked about her life, how she used to love her job, but no longer cared. She told him exactly how happy finding him had made her.

They made love once more, falling asleep tangled up together in her bed.

.x.x.

It was still raining the next morning. Lenalee woke up groggy, repeatedly missing the snooze button on her alarm clock. When the shrieking was finally silenced, she sat up and looked around. The room was empty. The day before had just been a dream. Finding Allen had just been her imagination...

But then there was a clatter in another room. She shot out of bed and raced to the kitchen. And there was Allen, shirtless and picking up the pieces of the plate he'd dropped. She could have died from happiness in that moment.

He smiled at her when he saw her. Her oversized t-shirt was wrinkled; her hair was a mess. She looked absolutely gorgeous in his eyes. "Hey Lena. Good morning."

She was frozen in shock, which he mistook as her being half-asleep. "Sorry about the plate. Breakfast should be ready in about ten minutes if you-"

He was cut off when she hugged him tightly. She was crying. "Lena?"

"It's really you. You're really here."

Allen laughed lightly. He knew what she was thinking; he'd had a similar feeling upon waking up next to her. "Yes. It's me. I'm still here."

She pulled him tighter. He laughed again and kissed her nose. Then he pushed her back toward the hall. "Go get dressed or something. I need ten more minutes."

Staying away the full time was hard. But it was worth it, when Lenalee came back, he had breakfast ready and waiting. And it was delicious. "You didn't have to cook for me."

He laughed. "As you so stubbornly pointed out _several times_ yesterday, I haven't been eating very well. This was for myself; not cooking for you would have just been rude."

She punched him playfully in the shoulder. "God I missed you."

.x.x.

Three weeks later, the lovers were sitting together on her balcony, watching another rainstorm. After their first night back together, the rain held special meaning for them, and they loved to just sit and watch it together.

He had filled out while under her care. He was still skinny, but he was no longer skin and bones. His job was shaping out to be everything he had hoped for. She was happy; her joy and passion had returned. Best of all, their time apart was all but forgotten. It was like they'd known each other for years rather than weeks, and they loved that.

She leaned back in her chair. "Hey, Allen? How goes the apartment hunting?"

He blushed as he looked up at her from his spot on the floor. "Honestly, I kinda forgot about it. I guess I like staying here with you."

She smiled, but didn't say anything more. Their attention returned to the rain. After a few minutes of silence, his curiosity was driving him crazy. "Why do you ask?"

She sighed and kept her gaze fixed on the rain. "I'm pregnant."

He was on his feet in an instant. He tried to form a coherent sentence, but that part of his brain wasn't working. She waited patiently for him to collect himself. "Wha- ... How- ... You- ... We're- we're having a baby?!"

She nodded, smiling brightly. His wild-eyed look had morphed into one of excitement. He wanted the baby, she could see it in the way that silver sparkled, and that made her happier than learning she was pregnant had.

He sat back down and leaned against her leg. "Well you can't expect me to move out now."

She laughed. "No. I don't."

"Good. Cuz I'm not going anywhere." He sighed happily, which made her smile brighter. "When did it happen?"

"Of course _that's_ your first question." She laughed and ruffled his hair before sighing and looking back out at the rain. "The night we found each other."

.x.x.

Summer passed. Lenalee's belly got bigger. The spare bedroom was turned into a nursery/office: a space where one of them could work from home and be with the baby. They hadn't figured out who yet, but they still had four months to work that out. The pair was happy together.

It was early September, and it was raining. That meant it was date night. It was also a Wednesday: the night Lenalee worked late and Allen cooked. He was looking forward to making the night special. He stopped at the bodega on the way home from work and picked up the ingredients for Lenalee's favorite dish, the one she'd loved ever since she'd gotten pregnant.

He struggled to retrieve his keys and balance the grocery bags. When he finally got the door open, he was engulfed in a tight hug. "Oh, my darling, precious sister! You're finally home!"

Allen momentarily panicked at the touch. But the feeling passed quickly when he recalled that Lenalee's brother had a key. "Umm, Komui, can you let go of me?"

Komui backed up abruptly at the male voice that definitely didn't belong to his little sister. It took him a moment to place the white haired young man in front of him. "Allen?! Is that really you?!"

Allen stepped the rest of the way into the apartment, closing the door and dropping his keys on the little table. "Hey."

He walked over to the kitchen and set the bags on the counter. He was only vaguely aware that Komui was watching him. "What are you doing in my sister's apartment?"

Allen blinked at the Chinese man. "What do you mean? I live here."

Komui was just as confused as Allen. "Really? Lenalee never said anything about letting you stay here."

Allen wanted to correct Komui, to explain that he wasn't a temporary houseguest, but he remembered how obsessive the Chinese man used to be, and decided to leave it for the moment. "What about you? She didn't mention that you were coming into town."

"Something came up at the last minute. I didn't even know I was coming until a couple hours ago. I thought I'd surprise her."

There was an awkward silence between the two. Neither really knew what to say. Allen busied himself with unpacking the groceries.

Komui just watched awkwardly, not understanding what the other was doing. "So, how long have you been staying here?"

"About five months." He knew the timing well, it coincided with Lenalee's pregnancy after all. ...The pregnancy. If Lenalee hadn't told Komui that Allen was living with her then she probably hadn't told him she was pregnant.

"Really? That seems like a long time to be crashing on a friend's couch. How much longer are you going to be staying?" Lenalee definitely hadn't told her brother anything.

Allen sighed and set down the last jar. He turned toward the older man, keeping a careful eye out for any sign of trouble. "Komui. I'm not crashing here. I live here."

The Chinese man didn't quite understand the difference. "You mean you're her ... roommate?"

Allen didn't want to answer that question. But it was going to come out whether _he_ said it or not, so he may as well try to get points for being honest. "We're a little more than roommates. We're... living together."

"Meaning?" Komui was playing ignorant on purpose now. He was hoping that Allen didn't mean what he was thinking.

Allen was not going to spell it out for him. He was definitely _not_ going to say anything remotely like 'I'm sleeping with your sister.' Instead, he pulled out his phone and called Lenalee. Why was _he_ the one who had to explain things to _her_ brother anyway?

She answered on the third ring. Work was incredibly boring right then, and she was excited to hear his voice. "Hey Allen."

"Hey. Umm... You wouldn't happen to be able to come home early tonight, would you?"

She looked around the nearly empty office. Her initial thought was that he wanted to start the night early, but there was something in his voice that said otherwise. If she didn't know better, she might have thought he sounded angry. "I may be able to swing that. What's going on?"

"Umm..." Should he tell her about Komui or not?

She laughed. "Miss me that much, eh?"

He glanced at Komui, laughing nervously. "Um, Lena-?"

"Hold on a second, Allen." She set the phone down and walked away. He heard her ask someone if it was ok if she went home. He couldn't make out the reply, but he heard Lenalee laugh. "Allen? I'll be home in twenty minutes. See you soon."

"Lena, wait-" It was too late, she had hung up.

Allen frowned at the phone and sighed as he set it down on the counter. He shrugged at Komui. "She's on her way home."

Waiting for Lenalee was awkward. Allen had no clue what to say to Komui. He didn't know whether or not Lenalee would want him to share the news about the baby. For his part, Komui was doing a very good job of internalizing his freaking out at finding a boy in his sister's apartment.

Allen busied himself with preparing dinner. He was frustrated at Lenalee, but he'd already gone through the trouble of getting everything, so he may as well do the rest. It would be him and the baby who would suffer if he didn't. He didn't know if Komui would be staying, but there would be more than enough for three, so it wasn't really an issue.

Komui watched Allen with interest; he was surprised that his neat freak sister would let someone mess up her kitchen like that. "What are you doing?"

"Making dinner." Allen didn't bother looking up. "It's Wednesday. I always make dinner on Wednesdays."

"For both of you?" It wasn't really a question, more of an expression of surprise. Plus, interrogating the guy who was most likely sleeping with his sister felt good. Though so far Allen had all the right answers. Komui was begrudgingly impressed that Lenalee had found someone who would cook for her.

"She usually works late on Wednesdays." Allen shrugged and kept working.

"You do know that she doesn't like asparagus, right?"

Allen froze mid slice. He did know that. He also remembered the day she'd started craving the green vegetable. "Can this wait? She'll be home any minute, and then you can question her all you want."

Komui finally sat down on one of the stools at the counter. He gave Allen that falsely innocent smile that sent chills up the young man's spine. "But it's _you_ I want to question. I don't often get the chance to be alone with someone who's sleeping with my sister~."

Allen set the knife down before he accidentally cut himself with it. "Fine. What is it you want to know?"

"Were you sleeping with her during the war?"

And that was why he put the knife down. Trust Komui to get right to the point. He thought about turning around and facing the man, but was too scared. He also thought about denying it, but that would only cause more problems. "Yes."

Allen braced himself for an outburst, but the rattle of the doorknob interrupted. "Really, Allen? You locked the door?"

He rushed over and opened it for her. They kissed briefly, and then she stepped inside and started taking off her raincoat. "Now, what's so important that I had to hurry home?"

"Guess who was here when I got home from work today?" He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around so she could see her brother, unintentionally giving the man a view of her pregnant belly in the process.

She lit up at the sight. "Komui!"

Halfway towards her, arms thrown wide for a hug, Komui froze. His beautiful little sister was pregnant, somewhere in her second trimester by the looks of it. He glared briefly at Allen before Lenalee threw herself into his open arms.

"Um, I'm going to go get some air." Allen snatched up his keys and disappeared out the front door.

Komui was unable to form a coherent sentence. He looked down at his sister, in shock at the way her stomach bulged with child. She pulled away from the hug and smiled sheepishly up at him. "Sorry I didn't tell you. I couldn't figure out how."

"...And what about Allen?" It was all he could think to say.

Lenalee smiled brightly. "Allen's been great. He's been so wonderful and supportive." She could see the mess in the kitchen where the young man had started dinner. "It's been great having him around, but I wish he'd stop trying to do so much."

She laughed at the look on Komui's face. "He was homeless when I found him. He sometimes goes a little overboard with trying to repay me. I can't seem to make him understand that none of that matters now that I'm carrying his child."

"Are you going to get married?"

She sighed. She had known that question was coming. "If I decide that's what I want, he'll do it in a heartbeat."

"But it's not what you want?"

"I don't know." Her hands rested on her belly. "Maybe."

She suddenly stood up straight. "Did he say he was 'going to get some air'?"

At Komui's confused nod, she bolted for the door, barely pausing to grab an umbrella. She found Allen exactly where she expected to: around the backside of the building, leaning up against the brick, smoking. She slowed to a walk as she approached. "I thought you quit."

Allen looked up at her words and shrugged. "I thought I did too."

He frowned at the cigarette between his fingers and sighed before flicking it to the ground and stomping it out. "Guess getting ambushed by your brother stressed me out more than I expected it to.

"Sorry. I know you don't like it." He smiled sheepishly at her as she held the umbrella out for him.

She mirrored his smile and pulled him closer. "I'm the one who should apologize. This wouldn't have happened if I had told Komui what was going on.

"Come on, let's go back inside." She grabbed his hand and led him around the building. "You can finish making dinner, and I'll make sure Komui leaves you alone."

.x.x.

The rest of the pregnancy passed without issues. December had been cold and rainy. He was working from home, and her maternity leave would officially start once the Christmas break was over. Their attempt to celebrate the holiday had been a disaster. One thing after another went wrong, and it all culminated in the pair spending his birthday at the hospital when she experienced a false labor.

It was January now, another rainy day. Her due date had passed; the baby would be coming any day.

They were sitting together on the couch, watching a movie. Allen was comfortable with Lenalee laying in his lap, but she couldn't seem to do the same. She shifted positions every few minutes; there was just too much pain and pressure in her very pregnant belly.

He put it together first, she was too antsy for it to be anything else. He paused the movie and looked down at her. "Lena? Is it time?"

She stared blankly at him for a moment. Once she figured out what he was asking, she shook her head. "No. It's not."

"Are you sure?"

She squirmed as the pain flared up briefly. This was definitely a contraction. She looked into his concerned silver eyes. "Not anymore, but I think it's still too early. I don't want to rush to the hospital just to find out it's another false alarm."

He laughed and moved her off his lap so he could stand. "Then we won't rush. I'll even promise to drive the speed limit, if that will make you feel better."

She took the hand he offered. "Ok."

The pouring rain made the trip to the hospital easy. Allen was forced to pay attention to the road rather than on the woman beside him, and that helped keep him calm as her labor progressed.

She insisted on parking and walking inside rather than being dropped off. A choice she regretted when her water broke just before they got inside. Six hours later and their daughter Talia was born.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

A/N: In case any of you are wondering: Talia means "dew from heaven". I picked the name for Allen and Lenalee's daughter because it fit the whole rain theme this story has.

Edited March 2017


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I bet you all thought this story was over. Well, so did I. But then I went on an editing spree and fixed a whole bunch of typos in my previously posted stories, and while I was editing this story, I came up with the idea for a sequel. I was going to put it aside because I'm trying to get "Of Cats and Witches" finished, but it was my birthday this past week, and I reeaally wanted to write something AllenxLenalee.

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The redhead checked the map on his phone again, even though there was no need to; he had memorized the directions the second he'd laid eyes on them. It was simply a nervous habit brought on by the awkwardness of the situation he found himself in.

His white haired best friend had come to this city for a job interview and then promptly disappeared. It wasn't worrying; Allen had a habit of vanishing for weeks at a time. But aside from a couple texts saying that he'd gotten the job and an invite to a Christmas party that the redhead had been unable to attend, Lavi hadn't heard a peep from Allen in over a year.

So when work brought him to the city, Lavi decided to give in to his paranoia and check on the brat. The number that sent the texts had gone out of service before Lavi could reply to them, so all the redhead had to rely on was the address of the party. With Allen's nomadic lifestyle, a four month old address was an incredibly cold lead, but if he was close enough to the host of the party to have been allowed to invite someone, then it was entirely possible that whoever lived at the address might know how to find him.

And that was why he kept nervously checking his phone. The whole neighborhood confirmed his suspicion that he wouldn't find Allen here; it was too middle class for his friend. Sure, it was possible that the boy's job had panned out and he could actually afford to live in a place like this now, but Lavi doubted it. The redhead was well aware that Allen had money problems, but the British teen had always adamantly refused Lavi's offers of loans or the spare room at his place; not even remembering the past could make him lose his "I can make it on my own" attitude. A new job wasn't going to suddenly change all that.

He parked his car, briefly rehearsed what he would say to whoever answered the door, and then made his way to the apartment indicated on the invitation.

.x.x.

Knock, knock, knock.

Lenalee looked to the door at the unexpected noise. Allen was home, Komui had keys, the mail had already been delivered, no one had ordered any food, and at this time of day, the couple next door would still be at work. She could not figure out who would be at the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

She pushed herself up off the floor with a sigh. Her paperwork was spread all over the coffee table and she didn't want to get up in the middle of it. But before she made it to her feet, Allen came in from the other room. She shot him a grateful smile as he passed her on his way to answer the door.

From where the Chinese woman was sitting, she could only see Allen's back, and whoever was at the door was talking so low that she couldn't hear what they were saying. It frustrated her, but she didn't care enough to want to get up. Her curiosity was satisfied with knowing that Allen knew the visitor.

.x.x.

Needless to say, Lavi was more than a little shocked that Allen himself answered the door. The kid looked great too. Though 'great' was maybe the wrong word as he was more than a little sleep deprived. And 'kid' was the wrong word too: Allen definitely looked like an adult now. He was well fed, his clothes were clean and free of holes, and his hair, though it was still shaggy, looked like he had paid to have someone else cut it. It was very unexpected.

It was far from the biggest surprise Lavi would get that afternoon though.

"Lavi! What are you doing here?" Allen welcomed his friend warmly. He was excited to see the redhead after their time apart.

"Looking for you. Do you realize that we haven't spoken in over a year?"

Allen blushed a little at the accusatory tone. "Yeah, sorry about that. My phone broke and I couldn't remember your number."

"Don't make excuses, Allen." Now that he knew the other was alive and well, Lavi decided to guilt-trip the brat for making him worry. "You obviously remembered my address; you could have sent more than a party invitation."

"Sorry. I thought about it, but there wasn't really anything to say in a letter."

Lavi laughed lightly at the other's embarrassment. "So... This is where you're living? I guess that job must have worked out for you."

Allen brightened at the change of subject. "Yeah, things have been going pretty great lately. Do you want to come in?"

"Of course." Lavi snorted and rolled his eyes a little. "I didn't come all this way just to stand in the doorway."

The first thing that struck Lavi when he walked inside was the decor: this was a woman's apartment. The redhead briefly wondered if present-day Allen was taking after the General Cross of the past, but it wasn't a big place, so it didn't take long for him to notice that the woman in question was actually in the room.

To say Lavi was surprised to see Lenalee was an understatement. And he was definitely a little pissed that Allen hadn't said a word about finding her or about living with her. But he was too excited to focus on any of that.

She hadn't noticed him yet, which gave him a moment to study her. And Lavi was going to do that, he hadn't seen her yet in this lifetime after all. Like Allen, she looked sleep deprived, but she was still a very beautiful young woman. Her figure was curvier than he remembered it being, but he would never say that out loud, lest she think he was calling her fat. Her familiar green hair was cut to a chin length bob and pinned out of her face. "I see you went with the short hair in this lifetime, Lenalee. It looks nice."

She just about had a heart attack at the sound of Lavi's voice. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up and saw her old friend. She was on her feet in an instant, her work forgotten, and she ran to embrace Lavi in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you!"

When she was satisfied with the length of her hug, she let go and rounded on Allen. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming?!"

Allen held up his hands in an attempt to appease her. "I didn't know! He just showed up!"

"I didn't mean to drop in like this." Lavi smiled charmingly at Lenalee, but she wasn't falling for it. "I was just trying to track the Bean Sprout down; I wasn't expecting him to actually be here."

"Would you stop calling me that already? It's been like a hundred years. Let it go."

"I think you're the one who needs to let it go, Bean Sprout." Lavi smirked at the glare the Brit was giving him. "Besides, if I hadn't started calling you that again, we never would have figured out that we were dreaming about the past."

Allen continued to glare at the redhead. "That doesn't make me like it."

"While we're on the subject..." Lavi crossed his arms as he scowled at his white haired friend. "I don't get you. We used to talk about the past all the time, and whenever Lenalee got mentioned you'd laugh and nod along with my stories, but then five minutes later you'd have already forgotten them. It wasn't hard to figure out that you didn't remember her. I was under the impression that you had blocked her out because you didn't like her. And now I find you _living_ with her? What's up with that?"

Allen shared a look with Lenalee. Their silent conversation gave Lavi the impression that they were hiding something from him. "She didn't remember me either. We-"

His sentence stopped abruptly when Lavi reached out and grabbed his left wrist. The redhead had seen something sparkle on Allen's left hand, and moved it so he could get a better look. His original thought was right: it was a ring.

Lavi glanced at Lenalee once more, and sure enough, she too was wearing a ring on her left ring finger. He scowled at both of them, still holding Allen's wrist. "Are you two _married_?"

While Allen blushed in embarrassment over not having told Lavi, Lenalee smiled brightly. "We got married five months ago."

Lavi was momentarily at a loss for words, but then his initial annoyance at Allen's lack of communication came back. "Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?! I thought I was your best friend!"

The way Allen faltered under the attack made Lenalee laugh at her husband. The white haired young man made a face at her as he collected himself. "We didn't have a wedding. You _were_ invited to the reception, but you didn't come."

"I would have if I had known that's what it was!"

Lavi's loud protest was followed by a quiet whimper from the other room. The redhead thought he was imagining it, but the look the couple shared said that he hadn't. Something strange was going on here.

Allen gave his wife a brief kiss on the cheek as he began moving toward the hall. "I got it. You go ahead and catch up with Lavi."

"Are you sure?" The worried look in her eyes made him laugh lightly as he disappeared around the corner.

The two left in the room smiled awkwardly at each other. Lavi broke the silence first, there were a million questions rattling around in his head. The first few were rather banal: work, friends, family; but then he reached the one he was most curious about. "So, you and the Bean Sprout. When did that happen?"

Lenalee smirked slightly. "You mean now or back then?"

"You were together back then too?!"

The stunned look on his face made her laugh. "You remember that big fight you two had? The one while we were looking for General Cross?"

Lavi narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah. He hadn't slept in our room one night, and when I asked him about it later, he made up some lie about his Innocence making him pass out. What's that got to do with this?"

The Chinese woman raised an eyebrow at him. "That was the night we first slept together."

"Oh." There was a moment of awkward silence. Lavi still wanted to know how the pair had met up in this lifetime, but if Lenalee was just going to talk more about having sex with the Bean Sprout then he really didn't want to ask. "So how does your overly protective older brother feel about you marrying Allen? I assume he had some sort of freak out, right?"

"Not in the way you're thinking." Her smirk melted into an awkward smile. "Komui got pretty upset with me when he found out that I had rejected Allen's proposal. He spent two months convincing me to go through with it, and even tracked down our grandmother's ring for Allen to give to me."

Lavi once again got the feeling that his friends were hiding something from him. Why would Komui have supported their marriage if Lenalee was against it? His question was answered when Allen came back not ten seconds later.

The white haired young man was carrying a baby in his arms.

That was the missing piece. Everything made sense once the redhead knew that the pair had a child. Allen proposed because he had knocked Lenalee up. Komui supported the marriage because he didn't want the baby to be illegitimate. They didn't have a wedding because Lenalee would have been heavily pregnant at the time.

Lavi wanted to be mad at his friends for not telling him sooner, but the cranky baby was just too adorable. She had her father's huge silver eyes, and they looked even bigger filled with tears like they were. The fuzz on her head was a dark green, and the redhead had no doubt that her hair would eventually be just as beautiful as her mother's. "So who's this adorable little one?"

"This is Talia." Allen spoke as he moved through the living room and into the kitchen. "And she's not adorable. She's a four month old brat who stopped sleeping through the night when she started teething."

Despite his annoyed words, it was obvious that the Brit loved his daughter dearly.

Lavi turned to Lenalee for an explanation, but she wasn't paying attention to him. So he did what he always did: he started babbling. "Talia? Isn't that a Hebrew name? How did _you two_ , being Chinese and British, come up with that?"

The comment made Lenalee snort, but she didn't break her gaze on the entrance to the kitchen. "The internet. Duh."

Allen came back into the room a moment later, Talia no longer fussy now that she had a teething ring to chew on. He smiled sheepishly at the redhead as he passed the baby to her mother. "I'd ask if you want to hold her, but she hates strangers and I don't think I could handle a screaming fit right now."

"That's fair. But you'll have to fill in some gaps for me." Lavi followed the couple's lead as they finally sat down. "What happened in the last year? You sent those texts, but I haven't heard squat since then."

"I told you: my phone broke." The two boys stuck their tongues out at each other. "It was raining really hard that day. I was getting to know the area, and happened to see Lenalee. While I was tracking her down, I slipped and dropped my phone in a puddle."

"And how'd you get from there to little Tali?"

"He showed up on my doorstep that evening. Five minutes later, we were having unprotected sex in the shower. Nine months after that Talia was born." Lenalee's brusque tone wasn't intentional; she had simply told the story too many times to care that she was leaving out details.

Lavi was glad she left out the details though, just hearing her say out loud that they had had sex creeped him out. He figured she'd already told him everything else that was important. "If you two both have full time jobs, do you guys have a nanny? Or does Tali go to daycare?"

"Allen and I take turns working from home, so that we won't have to hire full time help. And when we need a break, that's what my brother's for." Seeing Lavi didn't get her joke, she explained. "Komui's job brings him to town quite a bit. We let him stay in the guest bedroom on the condition that he babysits when he's here."

"Can I get in on that?" Lavi laughed at the thought. "Babysitting seems a small price to pay for having a place to stay in the city and being able to see you two more often. And it would certainly be cheaper than the two hundred dollar a night hotel room I've currently got booked."

Allen snickered. "Yeah, like we'd trust _you_ alone with our daughter."

Lavi pouted at the implication. "Hey! I'm into girls my own age, not ones that can't even walk and talk yet. It'd be eighteen years before she'd be in any danger from me, and I plan to be happily married to a blonde bombshell by then."

"That wasn't what I was talking about, but thanks for that mental picture." The white haired young man shuddered. "I was referring to junior high, and what happened with the Milner's dog."

The comment made Lavi pout more. "That's not fair! I was fourteen! I'm not going to lose your baby! And I found the dog!"

"No, _I_ found the dog. You pretended to help, but your version of helping was to flirt with all the girls from school."

"So, what? You're not going to let me babysit because I lost a dog eleven years ago? Some friend you are."

Lenalee laughed as the redhead got up and made his way to the front door. "Come back Lavi, he's just messing with you."

Allen and Lenalee shared a good laugh at Lavi's expense. And after the moment passed, the three friends spent the rest of the evening chatting, with one of the young parents getting up occasionally to see to their baby's needs. They talked about their current lives and reminisced about the past.

The highlight of the evening was when Lavi asked, "Are you planning on having any more kids?"

Allen smiled lightly. "We haven't talked about it, but nothing's going to happen until Talia is a little older."

"Actually..." Lenalee smiled sheepishly at her husband. This wasn't how she had been planning to tell him, but Lavi had given her a perfect opening. "I'm already pregnant again."

While Allen gaped at his wife with an expression that was a mix of panic and joy, Lavi grinned and pulled out his phone. "I can't wait to tell Kanda!"

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Edited March 2017


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